I have owned a Lumie Sunray alarm clock for nearly 4 years and I have been wanting to upgrade to a Philips wake-up light for a long time. Then I got one for christmas!!

I already knew how good light alarm clocks can be from having the lumie, but I am still surprised how good this alarm clock is. The light is really bright if you have it on it's max setting, by far bright enough to not need a bedside lamp. Also the lamp is a good big area so it really lights up the room.

You have a choice of noises to wake up to as well (birdsong, woodland, zen and cowbells or radio), I use the zen yoga one. The birdsong I find doesn't wake me up; although it is nice to wake up to, I wouldn't trust it to wake me up in time for work. In contrast to the Lumie I had the alarm comes on very quiet and gets louder, so it doesn't give you that shock of waking up to. The light generally wakes me up just before the alarm comes on, and you can vary the intensity of the light you want to wake up to as well. This takes a few nights to get set at the right level, I find 18 is just right for me.

There is also a sunset mode which works well, the light starts off at whatever level you have it on and you can set the time for how long it takes to go off. I really do find this helps me to fall asleep.

The best advantage over the Lumie is that this alarm clock has a radio. I do find this a real advantage. Another point it has over the lumie is that it has a "snooze" function, which I missed on the Lumie.

This alarm clock is really great to wake up to. I have really noticed the difference, even over a Lumie. I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to get up; whereas before I would have a bit longer after my alarm, now I get up as soon as it goes off. It also acts as the only lamp and radio in my bedroom too. I highly recommend it!